The present invention relates to a vanity mirror and particularly to an electrical circuit for providing operating power to illumination means for a covered illuminated vanity mirror.
Illuminated vanity mirror visors have become popular vehicle accessories for providing vehicle operators and passengers with an illuminated vanity mirror for use of the mirror under low ambient light conditions. A variety of lighting effects have been provided for such illuminated vanity mirrors including those associated with visors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,637 discloses a system by which a variable light intensity can be provided. U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,884 discloses another system for providing illumination to opposite edges of a vanity mirror. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,421,355, 4,486,819 and 4,511,954 disclose other examples of providing illumination for use of a vanity mirror and particularly mirrors associated with automotive visors. It is also well known to provide illumination to a vanity mirror which is located in an area separate from the mirror as, for example, above a mirror which pivots down to a use position as represented by U.S. Pat. No. 2,060,062. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,174,864 and 4,541,663 also teach an illuminated vanity mirror visor in which the illumination means is located in the cover above the mirror while the mirror is located in the body of the visor.
There are a number of structural variations for illuminated vanity mirror visors. Methods for providing electrical operating power to illumination means such as lamps has also included a variety of structure including conventional electrical conductors, circuit boards, and Mylar film with printed or screened conductive ink as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,205,635 and 5,162,950.
When mounting the illumination means on the cover or on a member which moves with respect to the mirror or the visor body, it is necessary to provide an electrical connection between the movable elements. This has taken the form of contacts mounted to the cover and visor body which engage when the cover is open. Such electrical contacts must be carefully aligned and can become unreliable due to wear, dirt, or even oxidation of the contacts if infrequently used. As a result, the electrical connection of lamp means associated with, for example, a mirror or a visor cover which move with respect to the body of the visor which receives the operation power from the vehicle has not been wholly acceptable.